How one lucky guy found a real Lightning McQueen NASCAR in a salvage yard and bought it for a steal
- A UK car enthusiast found a life-sized Lightning McQueen NASCAR
- It had been hidden away and was believed to have been crushed
- The price he paid for it might surprise you
Published on Oct 13, 2024 at 2:00 PM (UTC+4)
by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Last updated on Oct 11, 2024 at 6:02 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
This UK-based car enthusiast found a life-sized Lightning McQueen replica NASCAR – and the price he paid for it might surprise you.
Despite struggling financially he had always dreamed of owning American muscle cars.
The Lightning McQueen NASCAR replica had been hidden away and was believed to have been crushed.
After lengthy negotiations, however, he eventually acquired it for just $500.
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Lightning McQueen NASCAR replica
Created for the UK premiere of the Disney Pixar movie Cars, alongside other characters, when the buzz of the release died down, they were taken to a salvage yard in London.
They were supposed to be crushed but instead stayed in a container for years until their owner died and they were taken out.
Around 15 feet long and 7.5 feet wide, its short, wide, and low proportions mimic those of the on-screen character which was based on a composite made up of various models.
Here are seven real cars that were used Cars.
The cartoonish wheels are an oversized 25-inch and fitted with unique Goodyear rubber tires that lend to the NASCAR aesthetic.
Constructed primarily from vibrant fiberglass and covered with graphics associated with Lightning McQueen, complete with his signature number ’95’.
More of a prop than a functional vehicle, its steering is inefficient and difficult to maneuver.
Its authenticity can be verified by a Walt Disney or Pixar production plate inside.
How the YouTuber came to own it
Sam of Hard Up Garage talked to VINwiki about his experience of initially being told that the car wasn’t for sale.
However, he kept in touch with the people at the salvage yard, occasionally taking boxes of donuts to sweeten the deal, which eventually cost him just $500 after five years of negotiations.
However, he had planned to spend far more, budgeting ’10 grand’ for the purchase.
While he plans to sell the car for profit, he hopes to first create a fiberglass mold to keep for himself.
This isn’t the only movie-car steal, the epic ‘Wolf of Wall Street’ Lamborghini Countach sold for ‘bargain’ $738,000.
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All Supercar Blondie contributors undergo editorial review and fact-checking to ensure accuracy and authority in automotive journalism. After gaining her BA Hons in French and English at the University of Nottingham, Amelia embarked on a vocational diploma from the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ). This led to numerous opportunities, from interning at Vogue to being on the small team that launched Women’s Health magazine in the UK, which was named the PPA Consumer magazine of the year for three years running. As Health, Beauty and Fitness editor, Amelia personally received a Johnson & Johnson Award and was shortlisted for both PPA and BSME titles. Since then, Amelia has created content for numerous titles and brands, including the Telegraph, 111 Skin, Waitrose, Red magazine, Stylist, and Elle, as well as being Head of Content at Vitality and Editor in Chief at INLondon magazine. “My superpower is translating technical jargon about the mechanical workings of a supercar into a relatable story you’ll want to share with your friends after you’ve read it.” After joining the SB Media family as a senior journalist in September of 2023, Amelia’s role has evolved to see her heading up the SEO output of the editorial team. From researching the most ‘Google-able’ key terms to producing evergreen content - it’s been a time of hard work, growth, and success for the editorial team and the Supercar Blondie website. “I like to think of myself as a ‘method journalist’. In other words: I live and breathe whatever I am writing about. When writing about fitness, I trained as a personal trainer, and as a beauty editor, I completed an ‘expert’ in scent diploma with the Fragrance Foundation. “During my tenure at Supercar Blondie, however, I did something I never thought possible: I passed my driving test at the age of 36. One day I’d love to train as a mechanic to better understand what happens under the hood, too. “My sweet spot is providing readers with a ‘takeaway’ (read: something new they didn’t know before) after reading every one of my stories. While I don’t claim to be an expert in the automotive world, I know the experts and bodies in the field to rely on to provide our readers with an informative and thought-provoking story every time they visit the site.”
